Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
8TuesdayNovember122013ByMARIACHURCHTheterritorialgovern-mentispoisedtooverhaulitseducationsystemwithanewframeworkannouncedlastweekpromisingsweep-ingreforms.JohnStewartthedepart-mentsdirectorofRenewalandInnovationledtheframe-workdiscussionsandsaidthechangesarecomingatatimewhentheworldisquestioningeducationalpractices.Statsworldwidearealarmingandgettingworse.Kidsarenotengagedintheirownlearningandtheyrenotbuyingwhatschoolissell-inghesaid.StewartsaidtheGNWTwouldnormallybemorecau-tiousaboutproposingsuchdramaticreformsbutfortheobviousbandwagonofgov-ernmentslookingatsimilarlymassivereformstoeducation.Alreadyprovincialgov-ernmentsinBCandAlbertaaretablingtheirowneduca-tionalreforms.ChangesinAlbertawoulddirectlyaffecttheNWTssystemwhichcurrentlyusesproductsfromAlbertashighschoolcurric-ulumincludingitsGrade12diplomaexams.TheNWTtooktherststeptowardsreformwiththetablingoftheEducationMassiveoverhaulofNWTeducationpromisedNWTTeachersAssociationhappyGNWTopenedPandorasBoxRenewalandInnovationFrameworkDirectionsforChangelastweek.Theframe-workdoesntmakeanycon-creterecommendationsbutoutlinesninemajorareasthatwilldirectafutureactionplanStewartsaid.Reformswilltacklerootissuesratherthansymp-tomssuchasanti-bullyingearlychildhooddevelop-mentandtherelationshipbetweenhealthandeduca-tionhesaid.Residentialschoolsarean-otherexample.ThereisanawarenessofandneedtoaddressforourteachersandcommunitiesthelegacyofresidentialschoolssoourteachershaveabetterunderstandingofthecontexttheyarecomingintoStew-artsaid.IntheNorththatisahugehugeelephantintheroom.Otherlarge-scalere-formscouldseechangestotheschoolcalendarsincequestionshavebeenraisedaboutthetwo-monthgapbe-tweenschoolsemestersaswellaschangestorequiredcoursesforgraduation.EducationalreformsofthismagnitudehavenotbeenseenintheNWTsince1982whenthecurrentsystemwasdraftedStewartsaid.Hecalledthecurrenteduca-tionsystemafactorymodeldevelopedwiththeunder-standingthatyouthhaveaneducationalbest-beforedate.Therehasbeenanexplo-sionofresearchabouthowthebrainactuallylearnsandalotofthatissayingthereisawaybiggerrangeofwhata7year-oldmightdoandwhatsgoodforthis7year-oldmightnotbegoodforthat7year-oldhesaid.ECEopenedPandorasBoxGaylaMeredithNWTTeachersAssociationNWTTApresidentsaidshespleasedthegovernmenthastakentherststeptoover-haultheeducationsystem.IdoappreciatethefactthatthedepartmentofEducationwaswillingtoopenPandorasBoxandlookattherealitiesintheschoolsandaskwherearewegoingtostarttoaffectchangeandbuildonthatshesaid.Wearecautiouslyoptimistic.TheNWTTAwasoneofthepartiesinvolvedincol-laborationontheframeworkapositivesignofpoliticalwillforbroadchangestotheedu-cationsystemMeredithsaid.Wewantthiswelldonenotjustsimplytomeetpoliti-caltimelines.Thisisahugeundertakingshesaid.Areasofconcernfortheas-sociationincludetheschoolfundingmodelwhichiscurrentlybasedonstudentenrollmentandteacherandstudentaccesstosocialser-vicesandsupports.Meredithsaidherunder-standingisthattheNWTTAwillbeinvolvedinthedraft-ingofthefutureactionplanbutthatisunconrmed.Accordingtoapressre-leasethedepartmentofEducationCultureandEmploymentwillfinalizeamulti-yearactionplanoneducationreformoverthenextseveralmonths.EducationReformByMEAGANWOHLBERGSahtuMLANormanYake-leyawantstoseeanewin-stituteoftrainingandtech-nologyestablishedintheSahtutopreparetheregionsresidentsforoncomingem-ploymentopportunitiestiedtoproposedoilandgasdevelopment.Yakeleyamadethemotioninlegislaturelastweektohavethegovernmentconductaplanningstudyintothevi-abilityofsuchaneducationalinstitutionwithinthe2014-15scalyear.Hesaidthetrainingcen-trewouldbekeytoallowingSahturesidentsespeciallyyouthaccesstothetrainingneededtogetmuch-neededemploymentinthevarietyofspecializedpositionsrequiredbytheoilandgasindustry.Thismotiontalksaboutcreatingandhavingaplan-ningstudyforaSahture-gionalinstitutionoftechnol-ogyinthelifeofthisgov-ernmentsothatwecanputplanstogetherandgetreadyforthepotentialoilandgasexplorationthatsgoingtohappenintheSahtuwithalltypesofareasthatweneedtolookatfromenvironmenttooilandgastoadministra-tionhesaid.TheemploymentrateintheSahtuiscurrently55percentYakeleyasaid.Acrosstheterritory20percentofthepopulationiswithouted-ucationbeyondhighschooland9percenthavelessthanaGrade9education.AtthesametimehesaidmillionsofdollarsareowingoutoftheNWTbecauseofthelackoflocaltradespeople.Allthroughtheseyearsweregoingtobringinover600millionintotheSahtuintotheNorthwestTerritoriesandsayweneedsomehelp.Wehaveseenworkerscom-ingofftheplanes.Wedontknowwheretheyrefrom.Theyrefromthesouthandtheyreworkingonourgasandoileldsbecausetheoilcompaniessaywedonthavethetradeswedonthavetheexpertisethespecialists.Butweresayingokayletsdosomethingaboutit.EducationCultureandEmploymentMinisterdepartmentsnewcareerde-velopmentofcerandAuroraCollegetrainingcoordinatorwillbothbelocatedinNor-manWells.AswellLaffertyaddedtheSahturegionaltrainingpartnershiphasave-yearplantoidentifyandguidetrainingfortheregion.Yakeleyasmotionwascarriedleavingcabinetwith120daystorespondtotheproposal.ThemotionsseconderYellowknifeCentreMLARobertHawkinssaidhehopedtheproposalwouldbreakthroughcabinetscrustyexterioronnewideasputforwardbyregu-larmembers.Thisisarealopportunityinthesenseofenergyinthesenseoffutureinthesenseofinvest-mentsbutthatsdwarfedbytheopportunityandtheuntappedpotentialthatbelongsinpeoplewhoarelookingforworksotheycanfeedtheirfamiliessotheycanhousetheirfamiliessotheyhaveafuturehesaid.Ifwecantgetthemhereyouknowletstrainthem.Letsstarttraininganddevelopingourownpeoplewhowantjobs.MLApushesforSahtutechnicaltraininginstituteEducationTradesTechnologyJacksonLaffertysaidtheproposalwouldhavetogothroughtheregularcapitalplanningprocesswhichisdesignedtoweedoutproj-ectsthatarentconsideredhighpriority.HesaidECEhasalreadybeenworkingonaneedsassessmenttodeterminewhatindustrywouldrequireshouldacommitmentarisefromacompanyexploringtheSahtupotential.Whiletheneedcouldbepromis-inghesaiduntilacompanycommitstotheregionitislargelyhypothetical.Wedonothaveeitherascopeofworkortimecom-mitmentfromthecompanycurrentlyexploringthere-gionwithadefinitiveorexpansivedrillingplan.Wearehoweverensuringthatwehavecontinuingoppor-tunitiesandpeopleinplacetoaddresspotentialtrain-ingneedsandopportuni-tiesLaffertytoldYakeleyalastweek.Theministersaidfund-inghasbeenallocatedfortwonewpositionstosupportthecoordinationoftrainingfortheSahturegion.ThePhotocourtesyofNWTTAFromleftJacksonLaffertyministerofECETedBlondinchairoftheTlichoCommunityServicesAgencyandGaylaMeredithpresidentoftheNWTTAholdapressconferencetoannouncetheneweducationframework.PhotoAlasdairVeitchAsmoreoilandgasdevelopmentmakesitswayintotheSahtuMLANormanYakeleyawantstoensuretheregionspeoplehavetheskillstobeneteconomically.